LOS ANGELES - March 20, 2019 - s4story -- The Horror Writers Association (HWA) proudly announces Raw Dog Screaming Press as the recipient of the 2018 Specialty Press Award. Each year the HWA recognizes the accomplishments of a noteworthy small press. The Specialty Press Award brings recognition to an outstanding publisher of horror, dark fantasy, and weird fiction. This year's Specialty Press Award will be presented during StokerCon™ 2019 held from May 9-12th at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

After editing The Dream People literary journal, Jennifer Barnes and John Edward Lawson founded Raw Dog Screaming Press to specialize in "fiction that foams at the mouth" and to offer authors a path around the publishing gatekeepers of the early 2000s. Their five imprints span dark, weird, blue-collar, and literary fiction and nonfiction for adults, children, and young adults.

Raw Dog Screaming Press emphasizes community and cultivates authors' careers. Most of their authors have published multiple titles with them. The press collaborates with authors and team-builds at DogCon events, forging camaraderie among their authors. They take an interest in new writers, publishing debut books. The press developed a relationship with Seton Hill University, one of the few colleges offering a Masters in Writing Popular Fiction.

They champion niche categories of books, most notably horror poetry. Working with editor Stephanie M. Wytovich, and publishing stellar poets such as Christina Sng and Michael A. Arnzen, they've made a significant impact on the popularity and visibility of genre poetry. Raw Dog Screaming Press has distinguished itself by working with authors from unexpected quarters, such as internationally renowned musicians Till Lindemann (Rammstein) and Donna Lynch and Steven Archer (Ego Likeness), as well as feature film director S. Craig Zahler (Bone Tomahawk, Brawl in Cell Block 99, Dragged Across Concrete). They have also been fortunate to work with many critically acclaimed authors, including Jeff VanderMeer, Lucy A. Snyder, Jeffrey Thomas, James Chambers, and Lance Olsen. The result has been 200 superb books. Many titles have been optioned for film and translations into French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Russian, and Spanish. Raw Dog Screaming Press titles have received Bram Stoker Awards, the PEN/Hemmingway Award, the Sir Julius Vogel Award, and the Wonderland Award.

The HWA is a nonprofit organization of writers and publishing professionals around the world, dedicated to promoting dark literature and the interests of those who write it. The HWA formed in 1985 with the help of many of the field's greats, including Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon, and Joe Lansdale. Today, with over 1,500 members around the globe, it is the oldest and most respected professional organization for the much-loved writers who have brought you the most enjoyable sleepless nights of your life. The Horror Writers Association is the home of the prestigious Bram Stoker Award® and the creator of the annual StokerCon™ convention.